Managing Stress without Alcohol: Changing the conversation

Episode summary For eight years, Karla Cauldwell has led an annual clinician discussion called Limit Alcohol, built around assessing patients in crisis. This year she noticed the gap. The model is reactive, not preventative, and it treats alcohol as a patient-only issue rather than a staff issue too. In this episode, Karla shares the two-question framework she now uses to open a curiosity-led conversation about alcohol, with patients, with staff, and with herself. She also introduces the Managed Stress Toolbox, a preventative practice built before crisis hits, not during it. What you will learn • Why the traditional alcohol prevention model is reactive instead of preventative • The two questions that replace "how many drinks did you have" • Why alcohol has been treated as a patient problem when it is a staff problem too • How to build a Managed Stress Toolbox before you need one • How to bring this same curiosity to patients and staff in an outpatient setting Episode timestamps 00:00 The prevention lens Karla realized she had wrong 01:01 Reactive, not preventative 01:43 What would it look like to be preventative 01:56 What is your relationship to alcohol 03:01 The follow-up question: do you consume alcohol to manage stress or emotion 04:10 Inviting self-expertise instead of telling 05:02 Why this matters, one life situation away 05:39 Building the Managed Stress Toolbox 08:56 Collecting data from yourself 09:18 Begin building your toolbox now 09:40 Managed stress toolboxes work preventatively 11:18 Invitation to become a Whole Life Healing leader This week's healing assignment Ask yourself, once, what is your relationship to alcohol, and do you ever consume it to manage stress or emotion? Write both answers in a single sentence each, wherever you keep notes. If you ever consume alcohol to manage stress or any other emotions, "What is one small action you can take to manage stress without alcohol?" Resources mentioned • The Whole Life Healing movement, www.karlacauldwell.com (http://www.karlacauldwell.com) • Podcast home, https://pod.link/1890719765 About Karla Karla Cauldwell is a nurse health coach with a masters in healthcare innovation. Her mission is to heal healthcare by empowering and equipping healthcare staff and leaders with the Whole Life Healing framework and science-backed communication skills, so they can heal themselves and guide those they serve to heal. Listen, subscribe, share Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, at https://pod.link/1890719765. If this episode shifted something for you, subscribe so you do not miss next week, and share it with one colleague who leads a team or sees patients. I am rooting for your success! Karla This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit karlacauldwell.substack.com/subscribe (https://karlacauldwell.substack.com/s...)